The Unholy Trinity
by Laura W
Summary: Written for the VAMB Secret Summer 2017 exchange. The request was for a J/C story in which our heroes must deal with something that happened in the Delta Quadrant after they've returned to the Alpha Quadrant. As usual, I wandered off in a goofy direction. Enjoy.


**September 2, 2017**

 **Secret Summer Submission**

 **NOTE:** This story was written for purpledog, whose request was: "J/C A post Endgame follow-up to something that happened in the Delta Quadrant. They are home and they need to deal with something that happened out there. It could be something that happened in the show (i.e., the Maquis mutiny, the Equinox incident, Chakotay's dumb idea to date Seven, New Earth, etc.) or something you make up. They just need to be together by the end of the story if they aren't already together during the story."

 **THE UNHOLY TRINITY**

"I am … concerned that you left them behind."

"You can't be serious. A starship was no place for them."

"Nor was the jungle."

"That was their natural habitat."

" _Earth_ was their natural habitat."

"Maybe a billion years in the future, but not the Earth of today!"

Six months from now, when he is standing in front of all of his friends with a flute of champagne in hand, Harry Kim will take a deep breath in preparation for launching into his carefully rehearsed Best Man Toast. He will pause long enough in reflection to realize that he was fortunate, so very, very blessed, to be in the right place at the right time to overhear this conversation, because it has given him fodder for a _better_ version of his Best Man Toast, one that will surely bring down the house with laughter.

At this particular moment in the present, however, he is cowering in a doorway and cursing his rotten luck. Even though they've only been back for a few days, he'd gladly return to the Delta Quadrant right now if it would allow him to stop inadvertently overhearing this argument.

Seven of Nine's voice drifts to him from around the corner again.

"They were human."

And Chakotay's voice in response: "Barely."

"Humans do not leave defenseless people behind to fend for themselves."

"They weren't even _people_!"

Harry cringes at the tone of Chakotay's voice. He's heard his commanding officer angry before, and exasperated, but never quite this combination of both. He wonders what they're talking about. Or _whom_ , rather.

"I find your casual dismissal of their wellbeing to be … disturbing."

"I didn't really have a choice."

"Your lack of compassion for their welfare is unacceptable. I wish to terminate this association at once."

Harry blinks. _Association?_ Wait, what does Seven mean by _association_? Harry suddenly feels that he may be missing a crucial piece of context for this conversation. Probably more than one.

"Are you kidding, Seven? You're breaking up with me over this?"

Harry's eyes widen. Were Seven and the Commander … _dating_? He shudders in spite of himself.

"I am not kidding, and yes, I am breaking up with you, Commander."

"Because I left three hyper-evolved lizards behind in the Delta Quadrant?"

"They were not hyper-evolved lizards. They were hyper-evolved amphibians."

"Whatever! They would have been an incredible drain on ship's resources."

"They were also defenseless juveniles, and you left them behind. This behavior is intolerable to me. I cannot help but wonder if you will someday find me inconvenient and leave me behind as well. I am therefore preemptively terminating this association. Goodbye, Commander."

Seven's oh-so-high heels click against the pavement and out of Harry's hearing. Half a minute later, Chakotay mutters, "Well, that's a new one."

He has to know. Harry hates himself for it, but he just has to know. He steps out of the doorway where he's been hiding and strides around the corner. "What's a new one, Commander?"

Startled, Chakotay whirls around and fixes him with a dark glare. "How much of that did you hear?"

A long time ago, that glare might have intimidated him. Not anymore. "Enough to wonder, but not enough to fill in the gaps. You were dating Seven?"

Chakotay frowns. "Only if a few dates and two kisses can be counted as 'dating.'"

"I'd say they count if they count to her. So what's a 'new one?'"

Chakotay tugs at his ear. "I am the only man in the universe whose girlfriend broke up with him because of babies another woman had with another man."

Seven years of unrelenting oddity in the Delta Quadrant make that statement seem a lot less peculiar than it is. Harry shrugs. "Weird is part of the job, sir."

"Tell me about it, Harry."

"I'd rather you fill in the gaps, sir."

Chakotay gives him a thoughtful look. "You wouldn't know, would you? The logs were classified." He gives a humorless snort and tilts his head in the direction of Seven's retreat. "Well, they _were_ classified, until Miss Congeniality got her implants on them."

Harry shudders again. "So. The babies?" he prompts.

Chakotay throws an arm around his shoulders and steers him in the opposite direction. "I'll tell you about the babies. But I'm going to have to be a lot less sober first."

=/\=

Two hours later, Harry is sitting in a tacky taco bar with his head in his hands. He's not sure where he is; Chakotay called for transport to coordinates Harry could only place somewhere in the vicinity of far southern California, or possibly northern Mexico. Tijuana? Maybe. He's really not sure.

He's also not sure how much alcohol he's consumed. Chakotay has ordered pitcher after pitcher of high-octane margaritas and refilled both their glasses multiple times while he's spun his woeful tale. Harry can't keep up with the man. He's downed half a dozen tacos to try to soak up the alcohol Chakotay keeps pushing on him – one of them should probably keep his wits about him, after all – but it isn't working. Harry can feel himself spiraling down into a stupor.

The hell of it is, it's not enough.

There is not enough alcohol on the _planet_ to make this story make sense.

Wordlessly, Harry signals the waiter for another taco platter. "So let me get this straight," he says, hoping his voice carries over the cacophony of the Friday night mariachi band. "When Tom broke the Warp 10 barrier, he started to advance to a higher form of human."

"Right."

"He just … jumped over millions of years of evolution in a few days."

Chakotay nods and drains his glass. "Yes."

"And wound up as a _lizard_?"

"Amphibian."

"Whatever."

"Apparently it makes a difference."

"And then he … and then he … kidnapped the Captain, took her down to the planet, and they … I can't even say it."

"They mated."

Harry groans. "You didn't have to say it."

"And had three babies together."

"Stop saying it!"

Before Harry can protest, Chakotay fills both their glasses again. "Drink your drink, Ensign. It helps with the nausea." As soon as Chakotay looks away, Harry leans over and pours most of his drink into a potted plant.

The two men sit in silence for a long moment. B'Elanna once told Harry that Chakotay was not a fun drunk. She was right. Chakotay is a morose, sullen drunk who does not even appear to _be_ drunk despite the multiple pitchers of margaritas. The only outward indication of his inebriation is that his brooding has become more … broody.

Harry, keenly aware of his own deteriorating state, shoves a taco in his mouth and chases it with the last swallow of margarita left in his glass.

"I can't believe Tom never told me."

"The logs were all classified. The only people who know are the Doc, Kes, Tuvok, Tom, Kathryn, and me. Well, and the babies, I guess, whatever happened to them."

"What were they like?"

"Slimy. Really slimy. So were Kathryn and Tom. They all looked like gigantic Manaxian mucus mites. In their larval stage." Chakotay points to a taco on Harry's platter. "Vegetarian?"

Harry finds he has lost his appetite. "Fried avocado. Help yourself."

Chakotay downs the entire taco in three quick bites. Harry shoves the rest of the platter to his side of the table. "How did Seven find out?"

"Not sure. I think it might have happened this morning during the off-load of all our astrometric data to Starfleet. There were a few thousand encrypted files embedded in that memory bank. It wouldn't surprise me if Tuvok had put some of the more sensitive classified logs on that segment." The older man shrugs. "Doesn't matter anyway. Seven has never had any respect for security classifications."

"And she broke up with you because you left the babies in the jungle?"

Chakotay nods. "She thinks we should have brought them back to the ship."

"I suppose they could have been de-evolved like Tom and the Captain," Harry speculates. "And then Tom and the Captain could have … raised them?" As soon as the words leave his mouth, Harry realizes how ludicrous they are.

"I didn't even want to think about that. I still don't." Chakotay swigs his margarita. "Tuvok and I thought it was best to just leave them alone and pretend the whole thing never happened."

Harry drags his fingers through the condensation on the sides of the pitcher. "Does B'Elanna know Tom had babies with the Captain?"

"I assume Tom told her himself."

"You think he'd do that?"

Chakotay turns to stare at him. "I hope so. It wouldn't be right to begin their life together with that secret hanging between them."

"But you didn't tell Seven."

Chakotay's fists clench on the table. "That's different."

"Is it?"

Chakotay sits very still for a long moment. "Yes," he finally says. "It's completely different."

"Why?"

The Commander looks away. "Because I'm not in love with Seven," he mutters, and Harry gets the impression that this is a truth Chakotay has known but never articulated to anyone, not even to himself.

"Then I guess it _is_ different."

Chakotay stares down at the empty taco platter. "This was a terrible mistake."

Harry nods. "It was a lot of tacos to dump in on top of all those margaritas."

"Not the tacos. Or the margaritas. Seven. _Seven_." Chakotay puts his elbows on the table and cradles his head in his hands. "What was I _thinking_?"

Harry gives him a clumsy pat on the shoulder. "I'm sure if you explain to her again why you had to leave the babies – "

"Not the babies," Chakotay groans. " _Dating_ her. What have I done?"

"I'm not sure I know what you mean."

Chakotay continues as if he hasn't heard. "I messed it all up. If I had just waited a couple more weeks, we'd have been home, and everything would be different."

"Sir?"

Chakotay pushes the platter away and sinks down onto the table, head on his folded arms. "Now it's too late."

Harry frowns at him. Exactly what had B'Elanna said about Drunk Chakotay? _He's not fun. He's_ beyond _not fun. He gets intense and grumpy and you think he's just being a_ p'taQ _, until the alcohol suddenly hits him like a photon torpedo. Then the self-recrimination begins. He falls all over himself while he relives every mistake he's ever made. And_ then _he gets brutally honest, and you've got a situation on your hands._

Harry motions for the waiter to close out their tab and bring the bill. "Maybe we should get you home, sir."

"What's the point?" Chakotay mumbles. "I'll be all alone there. I'll be alone for the rest of my life."

So this is the self-recrimination phase. _Wonderful_. "Where are you staying, sir?"

Chakotay burrows further into his folded arms. "Right here. Forever."

With a sigh, Harry presses his thumb to the waiter's PADD, rises on wobbly legs and pulls the Commander up after him. "Let's get some fresh air before we make any big life decisions, shall we, Commander?"

Chakotay stumbles to his feet and lets Harry guide him through the bar. "Thanks, Harry," he mumbles.

"No problem, sir."

"You're a good man and a fine officer." Chakotay shakes his head sadly. "Don't know why Kathryn never promoted you. You deserved it."

"Thank you, sir."

"Everybody deserved more out there. But we did the best we could."

"We're aware, sir. We're very grateful."

Chakotay leans against him. "The trip nearly killed her, you know."

Harry steers him out onto the sidewalk. "Who?"

"Kathryn. It was hard on her. She was depressed and lonely and …" The man stops suddenly, swaying on his feet, his eyes wide and fearful. "Kathryn. Seven told Kathryn. It's probably the first thing she did."

Harry props his commanding officer against a wall while he looks around the dark street, trying to remember where the transporter kiosk was. "Told her what, sir?"

"That we shouldn't have left the babies. That she dumped me. That we were _dating_. All of it." Chakotay runs a shaky hand through his hair. "This is terrible."

"The Captain didn't know you were dating Seven?"

"No one knew. I wanted to keep it a secret from Kathryn, and now Seven will tell her and I've screwed it all up."

"Screwed what up, sir? Why would you want to keep it a secret from the Captain?"

Chakotay looks up at him with pleading eyes. The universe shifts on its axis, and just like that, suddenly Harry knows. He now has context for every conversation he's ever overheard in Sandrine's, for every time the Commander left the Bridge to hurry to Sickbay, for every meaningful glance over the center console, and he knows _everything._ The realization sobers him up in a hurry. "You're not in love with Seven. You're in love with the Captain," he says.

Chakotay closes his eyes.

"Since when?" Harry asks.

"Since the beginning."

"Damn."

"Yeah."

Harry leans his back against the wall beside the Commander. "Is she in love with you?"

Chakotay sighs and slides down a little. "I think she could have been. A long time ago."

How did the Captain and Commander survive seven years of sitting right next to each other knowing the way they felt … but unable to do anything about it? Harry's heart aches for them both.

But they are home now, and soon Chakotay won't be in the Captain's chain of command anymore. Harry pushes himself away from the wall and places his hands on his commanding officer's – his friend's – shoulders. "You can fix this, Chakotay."

"It's too late."

Harry shakes him a little. "Kathryn Janeway is one the most compassionate, forgiving people in the universe. You know that better than anyone."

"She is. She really is."

"If she still feels anything for you at all, maybe you can work this out. You can explain, and you can make it right. But we have to get you home and sobered up first. Okay?"

Chakotay takes a deep breath. "Okay." He pushes himself away from the wall and taps his comm badge.

=/\=

They materialize in the transporter kiosk in one of Starfleet's temporary officer housing buildings. Both men sway when the beam releases them; dematerialization and alcohol don't mix. Harry takes the older man's arm and tugs him off the transporter pad. "Which apartment?"

"Third floor, number 356. I think I'm going to be sick."

"If you can wait five minutes, sir, I'd appreciate it. This way."

They traverse the lobby and enter the lift. Chakotay sags in the corner. He moans softly when the lift begins to move. "What am I going to say to her?"

"The truth might be a good place to start."

"She knows the truth. She's just never wanted to hear it from me."

"Sir?"

Chakotay sighs. "I told her a story once. A long time ago."

"A story?"

"A legend. It was about an angry warrior who lived his life in conflict with the rest of his tribe. One day, he and his war party were captured by a neighboring tribe led by a woman warrior. She called on him to join her because her tribe was too small and weak to defend itself from all its enemies."

Harry stares at his commanding officer. He's pretty sure he's about to hear the most poorly disguised and clichéd allegory ever inflicted on human ears.

Chakotay continues, his voice soft and low but intense. "The woman warrior was brave, and beautiful, and very wise. The angry warrior swore to himself that he would stay by her side, doing whatever he could to make her burden lighter. From that point on, her needs would come first. And in that way, the warrior began to know the true meaning of peace."

Harry gapes at him. "That's it? That's your confession of true love?"

Deflated, Chakotay nods miserably. "It's terrible, isn't it?"

"Horrible. I'm not surprised it didn't work. Did she ever say anything like that to you?"

Chakotay nods. "She told me once she couldn't imagine a day without me."

"That can go a lot of different ways."

"It's the closest she ever got to telling me she cared about me."

Harry rolls his eyes. The Captain and Commander are two of the most daring and passionate people he knows … but these two "declarations" of devotion seem very tentative and lukewarm. "Wow. That's … something." The lift slows to a halt. "Here we go, sir."

They stumble together down the empty corridor to room 356. "Code to the pad, Commander, you know the drill."

Chakotay makes a half-hearted swipe at the keypad, misses entirely, overbalances and wobbles against Harry.

"Um, if you could just … try again, sir."

Chakotay manages to open the door on the second attempt. They lurch together into the apartment … and stop short when a petite figure rises from the easy chair in the corner of the dark living room.

"Captain?"

"Mister Kim." She takes a step towards them, her hands already reaching for the Commander. She grasps the front of his uniform jacket and peers up into his face. "Chakotay?"

The older man shakes off a little of his lethargy. "Kathryn," he sighs.

"I'll take it from here, Ensign," the Captain says.

"I don't understand," Harry gasps. "How?"

She shrugs. "He never changes his entry code."

"No, I mean: How did you know to come here?"

She smiles, but he can see that it's forced. "Seven came to see me a little while ago."

"Then you know they've been dating?"

She gives a curt nod. "Yes, I'm afraid I've known about that for some time."

"And you know that she found out about the … um…"

"The baby lizards?"

"Amphibians."

"Whatever. I know she found out, and she dumped him because of them. Which seems vaguely ridiculous, but not out of character." The Captain turns her gaze back to Chakotay. "So was it tequila or beer this time?"

Harry raises his eyebrows. "Tequila. About a pitcher and a half of margaritas."

"Did he eat anything?"

"Three or four fried avocado tacos."

She nods. "I'm sorry about this. He's not a very happy drunk."

Harry snorts. "No kidding."

She places her palm against her former first officer's cheek. "Chakotay?" Harry watches her closely and notes that even in the dim light, her blue eyes are full and bright, and a little bit sad. "We're home now, Chakotay. Everything's going to be all right."

"I made a terrible mistake."

"You did, but it isn't the first one, and I'll wager it won't be the last. Come on, you big lug." Harry smiles to himself. He wonders how, in seven years, he'd never seen this affection between them. Maybe he had seen it many times but never recognized it for what it was. His wariness about their lukewarm declarations of devotion fades away. Seven years in the Delta Quadrant may have tempered their passions for a while, but not their dedication to each other.

The Captain fits herself under Chakotay's arm and transfers his weight away from Harry. When she wraps her own arm around Chakotay's waist, Harry realizes she's done this before. "Let's get you cleaned up," she soothes.

They stumble slowly together toward the bathroom. "I should have told you about everything," Chakotay mumbles into her hair. "I shouldn't have kept it a secret."

"We kept a lot from each other, Chakotay, but we didn't have much choice."

Chakotay stops and places both hands on her shoulders. He peers down into her face, practically bent double to make eye contact with her. "If it's what you wanted, Kathryn, you didn't have to go to Tom. I'd have given you all the babies you asked for."

Harry barely stops the howl of laughter that wants to escape. _Brutally honest_ , B'Elanna had said.

The Captain whips her head back to him with a warning glance. "That never leaves this room, Ensign," she snaps. "Ever."

The change in tone doesn't faze him at all. "No, ma'am," Harry laughs.

Her expression softens into a wry smile that he recognizes. "It's not crunch time, Harry."

Harry nods toward Chakotay, who has staggered on his own into the bathroom. "Are you sure about that?"

The Captain tries to hold his gaze, but they both chuckle when there's a curse in the bathroom, followed by the sound of a body falling against the vanity. "Go home, Harry. Get yourself a detox hypo and some sleep. Will we see you and your parents on Sunday at the family dinner?"

"Of course, Captain."

"Thank you for helping him today."

"My pleasure, Captain." She cocks a disbelieving eyebrow at him. "Well, not exactly my _pleasure_ ," he amends, "but I'm glad I was in the right place at the right time." There's another crash from the bathroom. Harry winces. "Please don't be too hard on him. He's in love with you, Captain."

She smiles, and it lights up the whole room. "I know. I've always known."

Relieved and inexplicably happy, Harry finds himself grinning in response. "Good. And don't worry; I'll keep it under wraps until I hear from you."

"Thank you for your discretion, Ensign. See you Sunday."

"Sunday, Captain. And … good luck."

He lets himself out of the small apartment and heads for the transporter kiosk in the lobby. In spite of the margaritas and the tacos, there's a spring in his step that hasn't been there for a very long time.

=/\=

Harry gazes out over the gathered crowd. Everyone who could spare the time has come, and no wonder. Not one of them, from Admiral and Mrs. Paris down through Naomi Wildman and even Miral Paris, was willing to miss this momentous family occasion.

Tom and B'Elanna smile at Tuvok, who is bouncing baby Miral on his knee while his wife, the lovely T'Pel, looks on indulgently. Megan and Jenny Delaney introduce their brothers, all four of them, to Mike Ayala's teenage sons. Seven takes a careful bite of each dish set before her and describes the flavors to the Doc, who is gazing at her with open admiration. All three Wildmans – Sam, Naomi, and Gres – chat amiably with Sue Nicoletti and Chell. Chakotay's sister and her husband laugh at the story Janeway's mother and brother-in-law are telling, while all the Captain and Commander's many combined nieces and nephews play on the dance floor at the far end of the hall.

 _Family_ , Harry thinks, watching his own parents at their table with Admiral and Mrs. Paris. _This is why we all wanted to come home so badly. So we could share the family we made with the family we left behind. And now we're all here … for the Captain and Commander. Finally._

Directly to Harry's right at the head table, Chakotay is so proud he's about to bust the buttons on his vest. Harry's not sure the man's feet have touched the ground for the last six months. Being able to openly love the woman he's wanted for more than seven years has changed Chakotay's demeanor. He's still the intense man he's always been, but Harry's seen more kindness and gentleness in him than he ever thought possible.

The bride herself is beautiful. _Beyond beautiful_ , he thinks. Harry hadn't expected her to be more incandescent than she has been for the last six months, ever since the moment she walked into the Welcome Home family dinner hand-in-hand with Chakotay. But when she leans on her new husband's shoulder and blushes furiously at something Phoebe, her Matron of Honor, has whispered in her ear, Harry acknowledges that today, the Captain is simply radiant.

So radiant, in fact, that Tom and B'Elanna and Harry have requested a quiet word with the Doc this afternoon, even though they're all sure the Doc won't divulge any secrets. For Harry it's not even really necessary. He spent the previous night's rehearsal dinner watching the Captain's wine glass go completely untouched.

They've been back on Earth for six months, but Harry feels for the first time that now, in this moment, the journey is truly complete.

And now that it's complete, he fully understands that there's a story to be told here, and he's in sole possession of it.

But not for long.

When he catches the head server's signal from the back of the room, indicating that every glass of champagne has been distributed, Harry rises and lifts his own flute. After the children on the dance floor have been corralled and shushed, the room falls silent. From their table in the front, Tom and B'Elanna both give him a thumbs-up. Harry pulls a PADD from his pocket, glances at it, permits himself a sly smile, and shoves it back into his pocket.

"A few months ago," he begins, "when Chakotay asked me to be his Best Man, I was pleased, but … pretty shocked. I wasn't sure I'd ever find the right words to say to express everything he and the Captain have meant to me over the years. But I got to work anyway and wrote a nice little toast about how much I respect the Captain and the Commander, how hard they worked to keep us all alive in the Delta Quadrant, and how much they deserve this happy moment. And don't get me wrong; they _do_ deserve this happy moment. More than any two people I know."

There is a round of rousing applause. When the room is quiet again, Harry continues. "But a little while ago, I remembered something important: We're all family here. And there should be no secrets among family. So instead of the toast I wrote, I'd like to tell you a story." Harry glances down at the Captain and Commander. The Captain looks puzzled. But the Commander … He's looking up at Harry with a warning in his eyes. Harry only grins.

"Most of you know _some_ of the story, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that I'm the only one who knows _all_ of the story. It's a really good story, too. It's about souped-up shuttles and theoretical warp physics and the distant family members, the _very_ distant family members, who made this moment possible."

"Don't you dare, Harry," the Admiral hisses.

"This story," Harry says, "is about three baby lizards."

"Amphibians," Janeway and Chakotay both mutter.

"Whatever," Harry laughs. "Whatever."

###


End file.
